A Broken Hero
by Muffinthief
Summary: while he feels he didn't physically touch the lives of those who he fought for; I know that the hero in green clothes did in fact leave a mark on the lives he encountered.


**A Broken Hero**

I had only met the Fairy boy twice before he wondered back to the ranch; although our meetings before were brief, I could sense a change from within him. The once eager eyes that were filled with wonder were now replaced with a calming sense of knowledge and wisdom. There was a mature nature about him that had suddenly come over the young boy who stood before me. Little did I know at the time how naïve I was to the situation. I smiled at the blonde haired boy, walking into the ranch with the confidence of grown adult, except something else besides his presence had changed. It wasn't until closer inspection till I had noticed.

The boy with the fairy was without one.

"Hello Fa-" he stopped a few feet away, the words resonating in his ears. There was a pain in his eyes as his thoughts finished the words I was foolish enough to start. He shook his head and smiled up at me with those wise young eyes that didn't seem to go with his boyish face.

"We finished our mission," He said reassuringly, "and I guess she had a mission of her own."

I smiled back, stepping closer to him, "well…since you're no longer fairy boy, what are you?"

He removed his green cap and brushed back his long blond hair, extending a hand out to me, "Link."

The remainder of the day was spent laying in the field and enjoying the company of one another. When the bell for dinner rang he stood up and reluctantly began leaving

"just where do you think you're going?" I asked extending a hand out to him.

He looked back and smiled thoughtfully at me. Together we walked back to the house.

In the weeks that followed Link had stayed in the barn and helped out around the ranch. We offered him better accommodations but he refused and said it was just the way he liked it. We had caught wind in town one day that the king and princess offered personally for Link to stay in the castle, but that he humbly refused. It was beyond me why a hero of great stature would stay in the dump we had to offer in comparison to the grand palace, but he seemed content in the simplicity of the lifestyle.

Every night after dinner, he would sit and play his ocarina in the barn as I made my rounds feeding the cows, and then I would take a seat next to him and he would tell me all about his ventures and the different areas of Hyrule. He would go on and on about this beautiful cave with a waterfall that touched the ceiling. He shared about the calm water that majestically reflected off the ceiling and created a sparkling oasis where Sora's swam freely. Or he would share about the boiling caverns of lava where Gorons mined for "crop". And In a strange way he had this knowingness about him, like he already knew what I was going to say before I even said it.

Then just before bed, I would sneak him a glass of milk and blow out his candle for him and would wish him goodnight. The routine followed for a few months, but I could always see this far away glance in his eyes, like his gaze was reaching for something in the distance that he couldn't quite attain. They yearned for whatever was just beyond his horizons. While life was content for him, I knew that he needed to at least try to grasp the object of his dreams. So one night I tiptoed down the pitch black stairs in the dead of night and snuck out into the barn. Worried that the creaking door would startle him awake I slowly opened the wooden frame; however, he was up, staring up at the rows of hay on the ceiling.

"Link…"

He turned his head, almost like he knew I was standing there and motioned for me to come sit next to him. I lightly tiptoed over beside him in my long blue night gown and sat on the edges of his straw bed, the moon's radiance casted rays of lights that poked through the tiny holes in the barn's roof. I looked down, unable to say the words that I knew I had to speak.

Sensing the trouble that stirred in me, he wrapped an arm around me and we just sat there in comforting silence for as long as I needed to collect enough courage to speak the dreaded words I was wishing to never speak.

Finally after what seemed like hours, I said, barely audible enough for even myself to hear, "You need to go…" A single tear drop splashed on my gown.

"You need to go find her." I looked up at him, "You are fairy boy after all." I smiled through gaping breathes.

Link tightened his grip around me and just let me cry…and I stayed there with him all night, entangled in his arms until the thick pull of sleep convinced my tired lids to close.

When morning broke I opened my eyes only to find myself lying on an empty bed with straw stuck in my hair. My heart sunk in the pit of my stomach as I sat up almost instinctively. With desperate gasp escaping my mouth, I rushed out the door only to see the small silhouette of a boy walking away. He had a sack hanging off his back with his retired shield and sword. I called his name frantically, and whistled for epona.

"Wait!" I screamed. The boy stopped dead in his tracks and faced me; a lingering sadness stood on his face.

"You can't leave without this." I said, handing over the reins to my most prized possession. Link smiled and gently took hold of the young mare with familiar care.

"and this." I whispered, grabbing a hold of the young boy in a needed embrace. He hugged back and we stood there at the entrance of the ranch for what felt like the shortest eternity. He slowly pulled away and removed his green cap one last time before skillfully climbing on top of Epona and riding off towards the woods; His figure disappearing in the brush.

The year that followed was nothing short of lonely. Every night we would lay an extra plate out for Link in case of his return, even in the months when food was scarce and the cold winds of winter crept eerily in through the ranch. And every night I would find myself drawn back into the barn where I would pass by and look at the barren bed, left untouched since the night he departed. Without the company of him or Epona I felt the days go by in a blur and the sting of lonliness faded into a numbing ache that just became routine. We continued on with our work just the same, but I think all of us were waiting for the boy with the green hat to appear within the front gates of the ranch.

However, no matter how much we wished, he never came. Almost a whole year and a half passed before I caught the glimps of a torn figure approaching from the distance. Dropping the pales of water in my hands I rushed towards the front gates and stopped before the hero in green. He had scratches up and down his face and epona stood at his side, a mixture of dry mud and blood clung to her thick main. There was something different about Link. Before when he returned there was a mature embodiment that followed him, and now, standing before me, was a boy haunted by the demons of his venture. He looked up with terrified eyes and wrapped me in a needed embrace. His whole body shook and I felt the tears silently stream on my shoulder. I gently returned the gesture, almost trying not to break the broken figure that stood in my arms. My heart was broken into pieces seeing a boy of his stature break down into the fragile state that he was in.

After a long moment, I gave him a reassuring smile, whipped the tears from his red eyes, and guided the wounded boy into the barn…I guided him back home.

The whole night was spent sponging his wounds with warm water and forcing him to drink bottle after bottle of milk until he passed out. The only time following the events Link was ever truly sound was when he was sleeping; however, the peace didn't last long. Every night like clockwork the nightmares would plague his restless mind and he would wake up screaming. I would rush in and hold him, and wait patiently until he drifted back to sleep.

Sometimes during our chores I would catch him gaping at me in horror, almost like he was trying to reach out and save me. It wasn't until much later till I realized the true nature of his night mares. Unlike his first heroic tale, he wouldn't share anything about his second journey with me. It took years of slowly connecting the dots until I finally understood even a fraction of the events that took place. But with time the nightmares succumbed to a dulling numbness and link began to be himself again. The warm glow of his smile returned after months of anguish and he began to laugh again. The only thing that permanently scarred him was two large gashes that hung on the sides of his face. It almost looked as if he had repeatedly ripped and tore at his fragile jowls.

But he too learned to live with both his scars, physical and emotional.

I still don't believe that Link could ever regain the precious innocence that was stolen from him on his journeys, or the fact that he got no recognition for his deeds. He fought two heroic battles only for them to go unnoticed and while he feels he didn't physically touch the lives of those who he fought for; I know that the hero in green clothes did in fact leave a mark on the lives he encountered.

While he may have lost some friends that joined him on his way, I know that I will always be here to take care of the boy dressed in green for as long as he needs.

I will always be here for my hero.


End file.
